Hollywood child actress Cora Sue Collins joined me to make her cookie recipe that was originally published in the Los Angeles Times in 1935.
The Recipe
Long before television cooking shows existed, the Los Angeles Times had a celebrity cooking expert named "Marian Manners". She offered up live cooking classes and recipe columns. Cora Sue was a guest on one of her live cooking demonstrations. There are more recipes in this series, which means we will be doing more episodes in the future! I had a great time chatting with Cora Sue about food, fame and her remarkable life. I'm grateful to Darin Barnes for finding this recipe and helping make this episode happen.
Cora Sue Collins Refrigerator Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts and/or chocolate chips
Directions
Cream the butter and cream in the sugar. Add well-beaten eggs. Add three cups of pre-sifted flour with one teaspoon of soda and one-half teaspoon salt. Combine with the creamed mixture, stirring well. Add one cup chopped walnuts (you can use chocolate chips too). Form in a roll and wrap in wax paper and please in refrigerator. Slice and bake when wanted. Grease a baking sheet and bake for ten minutes at 375 degrees.
Special Guests
Cora Sue Collins was discovered and made her film debut in the 1932 comedy "The Unexpected Father" opposite Slim Summerville and Zazu Pitts. She appeared opposite some of the biggest stars in the business including Greta Garbo ("Queen Christina", "Anna Karenina"), Peter Lorre ("Mad Love"), Claudette Colbert ("Torch Song"), Norma Shearer ("Smilin' Through"), James Cagney ("Picture Snatcher"), Myrna Loy & William Powell ("Evelyn Prentice") and Lana Tuner & Ginger Rogers ("Weekend at the Waldorf"). Click HERE to join her Facebook fan page. At the age of 94 years old, she is still going strong and frequently does interviews and appearances to discuss her career and her life after Hollywood.
Jack Fields has been a contributing writer and researcher for Turner Classic Movies since 2016. He has appeared as a film critic on NPR and GoldDerby.com. Jack serves as a programmer for the Plaza Classic Film Festival in El Paso, TX.
The Final Product
Overall the cookies turned out pretty well. If you try these, feel free to tag me on social media #HollywoodKitchen or send me a message on Facebook.
Happy Easter!
Here are some stills from Cora Sue's career.